Confirming Mr Kavanaugh to the lifetime post would hand Mr Trump a clear victory and tip the balance on the court to a 5-4 majority in favour of conservatives in possible legal battles over contentious issues such as abortion rights, immigration, and Mr Trump's attempt to ban transgender people from the U.S. military. Kavanaugh has vehemently denied all allegations made against him.

"Millions of Americans, millions of women are watching us today", said New York Sen. "I'm glad that judge Kavanaugh was heard [and] that that the FBI investigation was completed and the Senate voted". "Specifically what it would mean to the millions of women across America who were survivors of sexual assault, women who have been scared to come forward with their stories for fear they would be mocked, ridiculed, and shunned". They said the process ignored many potential witnesses, including Ford.

In a speech on the Senate floor Saturday night, hours after the support of Collins and Manchin made it clear Kavanaugh was all but certain to be confirmed, Murkowski announced she will oppose the nomination when it comes up for a final vote.

"The presumption of innocence and fairness do bear on my thinking and I can not abandon them", she added, calling Kavanaugh "an exemplary public servant". "We must always remember that it is when passions are most inflamed that fairness is most in jeopardy".

The showdown drew raucous demonstrators, largely anti-Kavanaugh, to the Capitol, where they raised tensions by confronting lawmakers despite an intensified police presence. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., one of Kavanaugh's most ardent supporters. She received an honorary degree from Bowdoin College this year. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, who had been undecided.

Manchin is in a tight race for re-election in his home state, where President Donald Trump beat Democrat Hillary Clinton by 42 percentage points in 2016.

Three female GOP senators - Jodi Ernst of Iowa, West Virginia's Shelley Moore Capito and Cindy Hyde-Smith of MS, sat directly behind Collins as she spoke. "I bet he had another press release ready to go if Collins went the other way". A few Democrats sat stone-faced nearby.

But even if Collins flips, it won't matter unless she finds someone to flip with her. If she voted yes, the pledges would fund the campaign of whoever wins Maine's Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate in two years. Mr Kavanaugh would actually only need a 50-50 vote, as that would force a tie-breaker in his favour from Vice-President Mike Pence.

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"He's not the right man for the court at this time", Murkowski told reporters. "And that is hard".

Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a moderate from Alaska, voted against advancing Kavanaugh in Friday morning's procedural vote. Steve Daines, whose daughter is getting married out of town Saturday.

"What we know for sure is the Federal Bureau of Investigation report did not corroborate any of the allegations against Judge Kavanaugh", McConnell said. Among them were three of the chamber's moderate Republicans, Senators Jeff Flake of Arizona, Susan Collins of ME and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Senator Joe Manchin, a Democrat up for re-election in conservative West Virginia.

A final confirmation vote is expected Saturday.

The FBI report did little to alleviate a bitter partisan fight over Kavanaugh's nomination. Collins says she is pro-choice, but has claimed, despite evidence to the contrary, that she believes Kavanaugh would not overturn Roe v. Wade. They said he also seemed ready to rule for Trump if federal authorities probing his 2016 campaign's connections to Russian Federation try to pursue him in court.

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The man next then "took a swing at Brett", Ludington continued, and then they were "two guys fighting - that was all very quick". She has spoken to the Federal Bureau of Investigation , but Ford had reportedly not been contacted by the agency as of Monday.